Denise Brooks-Williams was appointed executive vice president and COO of Henry Ford Health in 2024. In this role, Brooks-Williams oversees all hospital and service operations for the 13-hospital health system comprising more than 550 sites of care, 50,000 team members and annual revenues of $12 billion. Reporting to her are the regional and hospital leadership teams, ambulatory operations, supply chain and facility and support services, including security.

Prior to her current role, Brooks-Williams was executive vice president and CEO, Care Delivery System Operations, at Henry Ford Health. In her capacity, she served a growing customer base across Michigan. Market operations generated over $8 billion in revenue, managed over 430,000 ER visits and performed nearly 75,000 surgical procedures. In addition to stewardship of market strategy and hospital operations while overseeing more than 21,000 team members in 5 hospitals and 250 care sites, she provided systemwide leadership over other key areas, including ambulatory operations, surgical services, service lines and emergency departments to drive growth, integration and efficiency.

Brooks-Williams also previously served as senior vice president and CEO of Henry Ford Health’s north market. In these roles, she was responsible for driving revenue, growth and overall market performance by partnering with both hospital executives, as well as other non/clinical leaders, to identify opportunities for service expansion and consumer experience improvements.

Brooks-Williams is deeply committed to advancing healthcare, her community, community service and equity in healthcare. she serves on the boards of Authority Health, Detroit Institute of Arts, Teach for America and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, among others. Her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly on Michigan’s Governor’s Task Force on Racial Disparities, significantly reduced mortality rates among African Americans.

Brooks-Williams is a native of Detroit, Mich. She holds bachelor’s and master's degrees in health services administration from the University of Michigan and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.